Wisnik Career Enterpriseshttp://www.wisnik.com
Our goal is to help you achieve your goalsTue, 22 Nov 2016 21:20:19 +0000en-UShourly1Law Firm BD/Marketing Industry Trends http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/11/law-firm-bdmarketing-industry-trends/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/11/law-firm-bdmarketing-industry-trends/#respondWed, 09 Nov 2016 21:18:59 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2209We recently released the findings of our 2016 salary and responsibility survey and are happy to report that based on the feedback of 367 marketers from large firms across the country, there are many indicators that Law Firm BD/Marketing is a growing profession with significant career growth! Below is a summary of some of our findings:

95% of participants received a raise or a bonus, or both

30% of participants have been promoted with a title change in the last 2 years

67% of participants are happy with their compensation (this is significantly higher than what we see in legal recruitment)

52% say that their department has grown in size the last 2 years

Average tenure of CMOs has increased to an industry record of 6.5 years and Directors is 6 years

We have definitely seen a significant increase in BD and PR jobs this year. On the BD side, the focus for the first 9 months of the year has been on litigation. We have also seen an increased demand for specialist-level BD professionals, for all practice areas. Hopefully, the economy will remain solid after this election, and we will continue to see Law Firm BD/Marketing as a career with great growth potential! Should you want to read the entire summary of findings from our 2016 industry survey click here.

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/11/law-firm-bdmarketing-industry-trends/feed/0Salaryhttp://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/10/salary/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/10/salary/#respondThu, 13 Oct 2016 14:30:28 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2186The question of salary comes up with every one of our candidates, but the discussions are very different depending on the candidate.

To begin with, 98% of the candidates we speak to tell us their salary. The 2% who won’t, we don’t work with. Why? Because we can only help professionals who trust us. I see it as similar to going to the doctor and not being willing to disclose your weight. Chances are high that the expert has a good idea what it is, but they still the need the “facts” to be most helpful to you.

Interestingly enough, I had two situations in the past month in which the candidates did not want to disclose their current salaries. In one case, the candidate did tell me but refused to disclose the information on the Firm’s application, which was required to proceed with the interview process. This candidate’s reasoning was that, “Women are harmed by disclosing their salary.” In this case, the candidate was making significantly more than the average salary for her level of responsibility and title and was also receiving a large bonus. I tried to convince her that if she did not disclose her earnings, and if the firm gave her an offer based solely on her years of experience, it would likely be only $5K more than she was currently earning.

More importantly, I had NEVER seen a firm underpay a candidate because she was a woman. As a matter of fact, I placed two female candidates in September who were below market (one had been with the same firm for 11 years, and the other had taken time off to earn a Masters degree); in both cases, when the offer was extended, it exceeded what we had requested upon submitting the candidate! Law Firms are not looking to low-ball a candidate; rather they aim to pay them at market—this is reflective what I have seen in the 20 years and over 800 placements we have made.

In the second case, the candidate had finally made the transition into a law firm marketing role, after taking time to raise a family. With interspersed consulting roles over 15 years, she was now looking for her next full-time role. She was afraid to tell me her base salary because she was indeed below market. I guessed her salary within $5K and convinced her that she had made the right decision to take a lower salary to transition into a full-time law firm role. Now that she had valued experience inside of a law firm, she could land a job that was in the right salary range.

The thing that I truly enjoy about my job is that 95% of the time, our clients want to pay a candidate at market or above market, and our candidates trust that we know the marketplace and will do the absolute best we can for them. This makes life good for the client, candidate and for me!

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/10/salary/feed/0Embracing Changehttp://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/09/embracing-change/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/09/embracing-change/#respondWed, 14 Sep 2016 21:22:24 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2184No matter how many years it’s been since I graduated from school, September always feels like a new beginning. This September brought with it more change than I have ever experienced in any one period of my life. My two teenagers in high school left to study abroad in Spain and France. Faced with an empty nest for the year, my husband and I decided to rent out our home in Westchester and move back into the city for a year. Although all this change was “elected” and good stuff, it sure is challenging!

Embracing change is something that most of us, including myself, are often uncomfortable with. Early this year, I attended a 3-day program on how not to let fear stop you from accomplishing your goals. Fear is the biggest reason why we don’t do what our “gut” tells us is right. Why? Because most of us prefer certainty, and we believe that certainty and stepping out of your comfort zone can not co-exist.

What do you think? Do you believe that by embracing change and stepping out of our comfort zone you can get more of the results you desire, in both your professional and personal life? If so, here is the insight I shared with our 15 and 16-year-olds as we drove each of them to the airport to embark on their adventures (where they would live in a foreign country with a new family and go to school with kids they had never met): “When you feel that mixture of excitement and fear, amazing growth is going to happen!”

Honestly, this is how I have gotten myself to overcome the fear I feel most days; I look back to my proudest moments, including launching Wisnik Career Enterprises, and I remember how completely uncomfortable and uncertain I felt – but I did not let fear stop me. I look back now and am so grateful that I pushed forward through that fear and discomfort. I encourage you to do the same – make September a new beginning where you step out of your comfort zone, embrace change, and let amazing growth happen to you!

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/09/embracing-change/feed/0Interviewing: What To Look Forhttp://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/08/interviewing-what-to-look-for/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/08/interviewing-what-to-look-for/#respondThu, 11 Aug 2016 21:19:18 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2182This summer, I have spent a good amount of time traveling the country teaching interview skills to attorneys at major law firms before they went on campus to recruit new talent. Conducting all of this training has caused me to think a lot about what characteristics, regardless of whether you are hiring legal talent or business, are most important to focus on when interviewing.

Over the past 20 years, I have conducted interview training for 65 law firms and have interviewed thousands of candidates. Here are five key things I believe we should be looking for when interviewing:

Self-motivation: people who are internally driven to do a great job and believe in their ability to accomplish goals.

Grit: candidates who know how to persevere and have a long-term perspective.

Practical Intelligence: individuals who know how to apply the knowledge they have to solve problems and make decisions.

Results-Driven: people who focus on results, not just the process. They use their intelligence to produce useful end products. They also invest their time and skills wisely and do not procrastinate or distract themselves.

Accountability: candidates who take responsibility and don’t blame others when things go wrong.

I hope you find these key success factors to be of value and I welcome your thoughts on this topic.

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/08/interviewing-what-to-look-for/feed/0Thank You Notes & References: DOs and DON’Tshttp://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/07/thank-you-notes-references-dos-and-donts/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/07/thank-you-notes-references-dos-and-donts/#respondThu, 21 Jul 2016 21:13:31 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2179Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed many candidates who were close to receiving an offer and lost the opportunity because of their thank you notes and/or references. Some of this may be common sense, but here are some Dos and Don’ts you should consider when actively engaged in a job search:

DO send a thank you note, but DON’T send it from your iPhone/PDA. It is best to write the note on your desktop computer, where you can proof the note carefully. If you have the time and inclination, you can send a handwritten thank you note. One Firm told me how impressed they were when the candidate hand-delivered thank you notes before work the following morning and left them with the receptionist. Another employer said that they liked the mixture of personal and expedient, when a candidate wrote a thank you note and then sent a PDF of the handwritten note in an email.

DO send each person you met with a different thank you note. Many interviewers have told me that they share the emails received from candidates and are turned off when each thank you note received is identical. This is an opportunity to distinguish yourself and say something specific that resonated from your meeting with each interviewer.

DON’T send your thank you note as soon as your return to your office. Your potential employer will be concerned that instead of working at your job, you are using work time to send personal thank you notes.

DON’T send the note using your work email address. Using Firm property for personal usage reflects poorly on your judgment and this may not help you land the job.

DO ask people you have worked with if they will be a reference for you. DON’T assume that they will be ok with a reference call without telling them first. We once had an offer fall apart, because the candidate assumed that the CMO would give them a good reference, but the CMO did not.

DO prepare your references prior to the call, by providing them with a job description or emailing them information, so they know what kind of job you’re interviewing for. The more “in the loop” they feel, the more likely they are to be helpful to you.

DO keep your references informed as to what happens. Even if you do not get or accept the position, thank them for their time, as this will make them want to be helpful in the future.

Each example above illustrates something we have seen candidates DO or NOT DO, which resulted in them not getting the job they wanted. I would like to believe that some of these errors occurred because the candidate wants to react as quickly as possible, and does not always think through how their behavior will be received. When it comes to the impression you make during an interview process, or the reputation you leave with past employers, it is probably best to slow down and really think through what you are trying to accomplish.

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/07/thank-you-notes-references-dos-and-donts/feed/0What are the Advantages of Working with a Recruiter?http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/06/what-are-the-advantages-of-working-with-a-recruiter/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/06/what-are-the-advantages-of-working-with-a-recruiter/#respondWed, 29 Jun 2016 18:11:08 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2104I was recently interviewed for an industry publication and, during the interview, the topic of the benefits of working with a recruiter came up. In thinking about the answers, I realized that it would be good for me to share some (not always apparent) advantages of working with a recruiter with our Wisnik Weekly readers.

There are several advantages of working with a recruiter when you are looking for the right next job. For example, a recruiter who knows the market, and has trust-filled relationships with decision-makers, will be more effective at getting you in the door for an initial interview because your resume will actually be looked at. Also, it’s easier and more compelling for someone else to “sell” you than for you to sell yourself.

In addition, a recruiter who knows the market can help you to identify firms that are likely to be a good cultural fit. They will also position you for the job by writing a compelling cover letter and coaching you to present your experience and competencies effectively in an interview. Specifically, a recruiter will make sure your answers to “Why this job?” and “Why this firm?” really resonate. Ideally, they have worked with the people you are about to interview with, and can brief you on their personalities and styles, so you are well prepared!

Common Questions About Working with a Recruiter:

Should you develop a relationship with a recruiter before you start looking? Absolutely! There are many candidates we begin speaking with one year before they launch their job search. We get to know them by helping them gain clarity around what their next job should look like and what would be the right step in their career. For example, what challenges do they need to take on to continue to grow in the field and what kind of culture will they thrive in? This kind of self-awareness really helps you to make the right transition, because you know what you are looking for beyond job title and salary.

How many recruiters should you work with? I think two is fine, but when a candidate says they are working with four or five different recruiters, they are no longer a top priority for us because chances are that their resume has been sent everywhere!

What about salary – how does a recruiter impact your bottom line? First of all, a recruiter who knows your marketplace will know what your level job pays and will give you a realistic sense of what you will be earning in your next role. Second, the recruiter will negotiate the compensation package on your behalf. I believe that in most cases, you are better off with a recruiter doing this for you because it is hard to negotiate for yourself.

If you find a recruiter who you trust and understands your career goals and what kind of culture you will thrive in, there is a high likelihood that a recruiter can be a valuable asset to your career.

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/06/what-are-the-advantages-of-working-with-a-recruiter/feed/0Success Advice for Recent Gradshttp://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/06/success-advice-for-recent-grads/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/06/success-advice-for-recent-grads/#respondThu, 02 Jun 2016 18:39:14 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2082The market is actually decent for new grads right now. For the first time in many years, we are seeing law firm recruiting and marketing positions that are open to a “smart new grad with strong internships.”

With this in mind, I have some advice for recent grads who are beginning their careers. These recommendations are based on feedback we get from clients, as well as from our experience hiring new grads and interns.

Dress the part. Imagine running into the head of the Firm or escorting an important client/candidate to a conference room. Would you feel confident in what you are wearing or need to apologize that it’s casual Friday?

Watch your tone. Your new colleagues and supervisors are not your “friends.” Don’t confuse friendly and collegial with casual or unprofessional. If in doubt, take the more conservative approach.

Bring your “can do” attitude to work EVERY day! At school, you can decide which days you give it 100% and which days you coast. At work, you need to show up every day and be prepared to produce your best work product.

Be responsive! I was recently doing a team building program for a group of new grads for a firm in Chicago and I mentioned a pet peeve many Directors and CMOs have voiced to me. They said some of their junior team members did not respond to email inquiries until they had the answer to the question the email asked. When I shared how poorly received this lack of timely responsiveness was, I suggested that it is best to respond and say, “I will look into that and get back to you by 2pm.” All the attendees took notes and admitted that this was not their first instinct.

Anticipate needs. If you want to exceed expectations in your first job out of school, don’t just respond, but anticipate what your boss, internal clients or department needs! For example, don’t just update the on-line forms, but make copies and put them in a labeled folder for easy use.

Making the transition from being a student to a full-time member of the workforce is challenging; I hope the pointers above can help to ease that transition! Please feel free to share any of the unwritten rules described above, as well as your own advice, with a new grad.

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/06/success-advice-for-recent-grads/feed/0Interviewing – A Branding Opportunityhttp://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/05/interviewing-a-branding-opportunity/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/05/interviewing-a-branding-opportunity/#respondThu, 12 May 2016 18:16:22 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2078In June and July, I will be traveling the country to conduct interview training at law firms before the on-campus recruiting season begins. I have done this for more than 60 law firms over the last 18 years. I truly believe it’s one of the most valuable training programs that we offer law firms. The reason I say this is because the majority of lawyers have not learned how to interview candidates effectively. Please know that I love working with attorneys and respect their intellect enormously, but this is a very particular skill-set.

There are two specific things many attorneys do that do not work during the interview process:

They ask questions to try and figure out what is “wrong” with the candidate. Their legal training leads them to focus on what does not fit and they often spend valuable interview time asking questions like, “Why would someone who has a successful career in finance want a position in law firm BD?” Or, “What are your ties to Washington, DC when you have lived in California most of your life?” These types of questions put the candidate on the defensive and the interviewer does not actually learn useful information about the candidate.

Attorneys often ask questions that are esoteric or reference something they are curious about from the resume. Examples include, “I see from your resume that you worked at X company; did you know John Smith who worked in the legal department?” Or, “So is X college as good as the hype? They didn’t admit me and I always wondered.”

I am not making this stuff up! I saw and heard it when I was head of legal recruiting and I hear it from current candidates when they interview with Partners.

When I conduct interview training at law firms, there are 2 main goals I focus on for how to interview a candidate:

Ask questions to assess whether this candidate has the skills and motivation to do the job

Ask and answer questions so the candidate gets a sense of your firm culture and leaves with a positive impression of the firm – even if they don’t get an offer! Candidates will share their impressions when they return to school or when chatting with other people in the legal market, so think of this as a long-term branding opportunity!

Although our Interview Training Programs focus on teaching attorneys how to interview legal talent, this skill-set is also needed when interviewing for administrative positions. If you have Partners interviewing candidates for your administrative roles, I urge you to spend a few minutes informing them about the role and maybe even help them prepare specific questions.

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/05/interviewing-a-branding-opportunity/feed/0What if You Don’t Get the Offer?http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/04/what-if-you-dont-get-the-offer/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/04/what-if-you-dont-get-the-offer/#respondThu, 07 Apr 2016 19:32:51 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2065We have watched thousands of candidates go through the interview process and sometimes, after many rounds of interviews, we hear, “We are going to pass on Sue or John.” As hard as it is to share this outcome with candidates, we know it is even harder for them to hear – especially if things had been going well at each round of interviews and they were very invested.

Unfortunately, I think most of us, at one time or another, have had the experience of being rejected by a place we thought was right for us. I know this is a painful experience and we are filled with disappointment. Having watched this process up close for 20 years, here is what I advise: Do not to take it personally! I know it feels VERY personal: a bunch of people who met you said, “NO, you are not right.” But honestly, these decisions often come down to some random factors that you had little to no control over. Maybe someone didn’t like your green tie or the fact that you went to a rival school – or maybe the Hiring Partner had their own referred candidate. In most cases, the decision is very well thought out, but sometime it’s just not.

Do you remember when you were applying to college and you, or some of your friends, got into a great school, but were rejected or wait-listed by a lower ranked school? I was visiting colleges with my 16 year old daughter last week and am encouraging her to consider a wide range of colleges – because I remember being rejected by Brandeis, but accepted by Barnard(?!?!)

Although it is difficult when we are rejected, I would encourage you to be the professional you are: send thank you notes to people you met during the interview process with whom you really connected. They were probably your champions in the course of the decision-making process and there is a high likelihood that you will run in to them again at an LMA meeting, NALP conference or on a future interview at another firm. Do your best to shake it off and not carry the disappoint with you into your future interviews – interviewers can always sense if you are upset or feeling negative about past experiences. If you need to, write it out in a letter that you’ll NEVER send, to help “re-set” yourself.

I know this is all common sense, but doing the right thing and behaving in a way you feel good about (even when you feel like hiding from anyone who might have been responsible for that “NO”), is going to payoff in the long run.

]]>http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/04/what-if-you-dont-get-the-offer/feed/0Professional Presence in Law Firms: What Does it Look Like?http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/03/professional-presence-in-law-firms-what-does-it-look-like/
http://www.wisnik.com/wisdom/2016/03/professional-presence-in-law-firms-what-does-it-look-like/#respondThu, 17 Mar 2016 19:10:34 +0000http://www.wisnik.com/?p=2055The topic of professional presence often comes up when we are discussing an open position with a hiring manager. Over the past 20 years, we have interviewed thousands of candidates in searching for the right talent for our clients. Finding great talent is one of the most rewarding parts of my job, but unfortunately, each week we interview candidates who fall short on professional presence. Although I think most of us have an intuitive sense of what professional presence “looks” like, we wanted to delve into this topic and see how it is described by those who are interviewing and managing talent in law firms. We surveyed heads of Marketing/BD, Recruiting/PD, and HR, asking them to share their insights on what “professional presence” means to them. The survey feedback, combined with our research and over 20 years of interviewing candidates, led to the following thoughts on what you may want to focus on when you are adding to your team.

Professional Presence – the following are key elements mentioned by survey respondents:

Interpersonal skills: exuding a positive attitude, exercising discretion, being diplomatic and a good listener

Work Style: being engaged, prepared, proactive, efficient, and calm under pressure

Verbal/Communication skills: being articulate and concise, speaking properly (limited “likes” and “ums”), and having a confident voice

Personality Traits: being humble, authentic, mature, thoughtful, and having a sense of humor

Professional Presence During the Interview Process – based on our survey, here are a few things that top candidates DO and DON’T DO during the interview process:

They DO:

Dress the part – they dress for the job they want

Research the job and firm

Engage in the conversation and ask thoughtful questions

They DON’T:

Speak badly about former employers or experiences

Come across as timid or, on the other hand, overly confident or arrogant

Just go through the motions and act disinterested in the opportunity

Increasing Professional Presence on Your Team
According to the Harvard Business Review, “Presence is not some innate quality that you either have or do not. It is a set of learned behaviors that enable you to command attention.” Our survey results echo this sentiment, as the majority of qualities mentioned were not inherent traits. Professional presence can always be further developed in existing team members who may fall a bit short, but have the skills you need. In addition, professional presence is something you can definitely be on the lookout for when interviewing new talent. Just think how smoothly things will go for you at work when you surround yourself with professionals who have what one respondent described as “good judgment, a positive energy, and the ability to inspire the confidence of the most difficult Partners.” We hope these tips help you in achieving this.